


Roommates and Fairy Lights

by Momma_Time



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: As we need them, But he'll be a tad better, College AU, Daniel won't totally clean up his act, Danvid, I think it will get better so I'll put warnings in chapter notes, I think that's the ship name, I'm not always a fan of how Love Fixes Everyone™ tropes, M/M, Manipulation, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, Unhealthy Relationships, at least in the beginning, just a tad, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-07 18:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11629140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Momma_Time/pseuds/Momma_Time
Summary: David has gone off to college, and a Daniel on medication is his surprise roommate with revenge on the brain.





	1. Welcome!

**Author's Note:**

> **No warnings for ch1. :0)**  
>  Also, you can't tell me that David wouldn't cuddle a Smokey the Bear plushy. Fight me.

David couldn't live at the camp all year long. He did have a life outside of it in the off-season.

He was in college, a double major in English and music, and lived on campus during the fall and spring semesters. During the winter break? He would head to his grandmother's house.

So here he was, moving into his dorm for the fall, and wondering when his roommate would show up. 'Danny,' the laminated blue t-shirt on his door said. David had his own, a cute shirt in green. Smiling happily, David told himself that he would have a great time this semester and he just KNEW he'd get along swimmingly with the guy. They'd be best friends! Even closer than he was to Gwen!

Unpacking didn't take long; he pulled out his sheets and made the bed, put away his clothes, stored his guitar under his bed, and started stringing up fairy lights along the underside of his roommate's top bunk. Little curtains he'd made for the fun of it were draped over the opening to his bottom bunk. Was it kind of cutesy? A little, but he liked it. The lights encased in colorful, plastic leaves. It almost felt like he was back at camp. Almost.  
  
David couldn't bring the log, so he brought a tiny Smokey the Bear plushy that he hid under his pillow when he wasn't using it. He smiled, already looking forward to summer break when he could have that log back. Oh well, Smokey would do for now.  
  
Snacks were also stored under the bed because he wanted Danny to have room in the nightstand for whatever he needed; David figured he could take up whatever room was left later on.  
  
It was a half hour after David finished unpacking that his roommate showed up. And holy poo what a surprise he got.  
  
"Daniel?" They gaped at one another in shock, only for Daniel to sputter when David engulfed him in a hug. "You're okay! Oh, that's wonderful! I sent you flowers while you were in the hospital. Did you get them? Dear stars how lucky am I to know my roommate already. This is gonna be great."  
  
\--  
  
Why was this idiot hugging him? He'd tried to kill everyone in the camp, and yet the guy was still hugging him and welcoming Daniel with this level of enthusiasm? The man was either stupid, naive, or both. Daniel was here for revenge, and still, this moron was completely oblivious to the danger he was in.  
  
Whatever.  
  
He plastered on a smile and hugged him back. "Of course! I got them. Sunflowers, my favorite! How did you know?"  
  
David seemed almost bashful when he replied with, "Oh, just a guess."  
  
"Well, you know me too well it seems." Like hell, he did. The man wouldn't understand what Daniel wanted to do with him and the campers, even after Daniel stabbed him; he'd probably smile and apologize for getting in the way of whatever Daniel was trying to do with the knife (like cooking or something equally stupid).  
  
"Here, let me help you with that." Before Daniel could protest, David was already hauling in Daniel's bags and things.  
  
"Oh, David, you don't have to do that. I've got it." Free labor. Sure, he'd take it, but the guy couldn't handle EVERYTHING Daniel had in those bags. They'd have to be pulled out when David was asleep or something. The plan was to make the man's life a living hell this semester, and the next, trying to destroy him from the inside out slowly.  
  
If only this idiot weren't so thick that he couldn't see what Daniel was trying to do to him. As it was, it only made Daniel's job harder to pull this off; he can't have a negative effect on the man if he was impervious to all things negative. How did he do that? No one was that happy or that indifferent to emotions other than various expressions of happiness.  
  
"When you're done unpacking, we should go get dinner! There's a place up the street that makes amazing sandwiches, and wow, they're to die for."  
  
David refrained from saying anything about the choice of words. He forced a smile instead, "That sounds like a lovely idea! Do they have any vegan options?"  
  
"And gluten free!"  
  
"Even better."


	2. Nightmares on Bunkbeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smokey the Bear makes another appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this one. :0)  
> This is super short. My b.

Things seemed to be going well. David was having the time of his life, now that he had a friend that he could spend time with in and out of classes. They could finish one another's sentences, enjoy some of the same terrible jokes, and just all around get along swimmingly. He couldn't be happier.  
  
Daniel didn't judge him for needing the bear he slept with; he understood because he had a body pillow for himself. Sometimes, a guy just needed to hold something while he slept. He totally got it, and David couldn't be more grateful for such an understanding friend.  
  
And it came in handy a month into the semester when David woke to a horrible nightmare. Dead. Everyone was dead. All of the friends he'd made at the camp, Campbell, Daniel, everyone. And Jasper was there, mocking him for his failure to help everyone he knew.  
  
When he woke with a gasp and lurched upright, he banged his head on the bed above him. David rubbed at the sore spot, eyes darting around frantically. Well, that was terrifying, and heavens above that hurt his heart.  
  
"David? What are you doing?"  
  
The sluggish voice above him startled David out of his thoughts and his gaze flicked to the bed above his. "Um, n-nightmare is all. Sorry for waking you, Daniel." He could take care of this himself.  
  
There was a moment of silence where David thought Daniel had gone back to sleep, only for it to be disturbed a moment later when the bed above him squeaked with movement. A soft thud sounded on the floor beside their beds, and the curtain was pulled back to reveal a sleep mussed Daniel.  
  
"Scoot." That was the only order given, and it was a little gruff, but David didn't question him, just moved over the best he could to make room for one more. Daniel crawled under the blankets next to him and lightly pushed David back down. He flopped next to him and curled an arm around his roommate, leaving David more awake than he was before. Why in the hell was this man in his bed and-- "Stop thinking. Go to sleep. I've got you."  
  
The words were short and a little harsh in their tone, but David had quickly found out that Daniel was not a morning person; he just wasn't awake enough to be his usual happy self. David didn't argue and curled closer to his friend. It helped. Having something to hold onto in the night was relaxing, but having someone to cuddle, that was even better.  
  
David was out in moments, and no more nightmares plagued him that night.


	3. Sniff, Sniff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel is caught in the rain and they have a Talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Failed attempts at gaslighting.  
> With real gaslighting, no one is immune to it, and in this, David isn't either, but he muddles through it a little better.

Daniel tried to take it slow, to lead David into a sense of security. He needed David to feel as if he were on solid ground before Daniel began to chip away at his foundation piece by piece.

A comment here or there about David's abilities to care for kids, just a small seed of doubt, enough to make him think. That was all he needed to get his foot in the door. It worked, for an hour or so, and then David somehow managed to remind himself of all the good he did while he was a counselor, and any hints of doubt that Daniel tried to feed him were washed away.

That's fine. That's okay. It would just take a little time for it to take; Daniel could be patient.

So he continued to drop hints here and there of David's inability to do whatever it was he liked or thought he was good at. 'Okay but that chord sucked. Just sayin'.' 'Your analysis of this poem is way off. Did you not read up on the author first?' It went on and on, just about the little things that Daniel would nitpick, even if David had something worthy of an A, it wasn't good enough, or he didn't do it right. David was a bit of a goofball, but he was still a perfectionist who never stopped trying. All Daniel's tormenting seemed to do was make him work harder, which wound up leading to David having better grades.

So it just needed more time.

And more time.

And more time.

But nothing seemed to be working, nothing long term.

It all came to a head when Daniel caught a cold running from class back to the dorm in the pouring rain in 40° weather. David had freaked out when the man walked in, soaked and chilled to the bone. He'd immediately gathered dry clothes for Daniel and urged him to dry off and change. Daniel struggled to peel his clothes off and wound up whining to David that he needed help.

With a small laugh, David had Daniel sit in his desk chair and helped him get the sopping clothes off of him. He moved methodically as if he'd done this dozens of times in the past. Daniel briefly wondered who in David's life he did this for, but after thinking on it for a split second, he concluded that it was for himself, not anyone else.

David held out a towel and helped him stand. "Here. Start drying your hair and all off while I work on getting the rest of this mess off of you."

Daniel had little choice but to obey and quickly found himself naked in their dorm, with David trying to help him dry off. If he didn't feel like he'd been hit by a truck frozen in a block of ice, maybe he'd be a bit more interested. Instead, he just wanted to stand up straight long enough to get into his flannel pajamas and crawl into bed.

Only when he was dried off and dressed was he allowed to get in bed. In this state, David didn't let Daniel sleep in his bed; he needed to rest in David's so he could get up and down more easily. Daniel had zero complaints about this and collapsed heavily onto David's bed. Screw covers. He didn't need them.

Until a string of shivers gripped him.

David tutted and tugged the blankets out from under Daniel to tuck him in. "What am I going to do with you, Daniel?"

"Putting me down would be a nice start," he mumbled, burrowing further under the blankets. Another weight was draped over him, and he opened his eyes to find that the blankets from his bed were being added on. Why the fuck was this idiot so kind to him? After the way Daniel had treated him, how he planned to continue to treat him?  
  
"Why are you so nice?"  
  
David paused, unsure of how he should answer. How does one answer such a question when someone hadn't been the kindest in return? He stood and left him a moment to see if he could find something to keep down a fever if Daniel developed one. When he returned to the bedside with two pills and a glass of water, he finally answered.  
  
"Because I take joy in being kind to others, even if they don't always show me the same. There's not enough of it in the world."  
  
"It'll get you hurt one day."  
  
"It already has."  
  
Daniel said nothing for a time, choosing instead to curl up into a ball. He was freezing.  
  
What did that even mean? That it already hurt him? Who had hurt him? Why? And why did he care? Isn't that what Daniel was trying to do to David? It shouldn't matter, so long as Daniel was the one to break him.  
  
"David?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
Daniel weakly motioned for David to join him, leaving the man to awkwardly crawl under the blankets with him. It was soothing, to have another body there, warm against his chilled skin. It didn't take long for the medicine David gave him to kick in, knocking him out.


	4. Dazed and Taken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel gets better.  
> Both listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short and fluffy.  
> Enjoy you nerds.

It took two days for Daniel to get over the cold, and it only took one day for him to grow stir crazy and drive David up a wall. He wanted out. He wanted to run around, go to class, do SOMETHING. David wouldn't let him leave the bed to go to class, only to walk around the room to avoid blood clots and go to the bathroom. He slept in David's bed so that he could get into and out of bed more easily, and David took his. Or tried to. Usually, Daniel would make "grabby-hands" at David, and David would cave without a second thought, crawling into bed beside him.  
  
"How are you not sick yet?"  
  
"I work with kids and keep up with my vaccines. I'm immune to everything." His voice was proud, maybe a little smug, that he could hang around a walking germ like Daniel and not wind up in bed too.  
  
"You suck."  
  
"I know." David teasingly pet him and drew him closer. "Now, go back to sleep."  
  
\--  
  
When he was finally allowed to go to class again, Daniel thought that this is what the first moments of freedom must be like, as if he were locked away for years before this. He almost danced for joy.  
  
To celebrate, he even dragged David out to get nachos after class. David didn't seem to mind, looking forward to the cheese more than anything; he let Daniel drag him wherever he wanted. When they got there, Daniel dramatically made a toast with David for his swift recovery, clinking their beers together; all in all, he was a little manic and bouncing off of the walls.  
  
David didn't mention it; he was happy to see Daniel looking so happy and energetic. He had been worried about Daniel, had silently panicked over whether or not Daniel would recover. He knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't help it. So when they were settled with their food and drinks, David prompted Daniel to talk about whatever he did in class that day and asked him if he needed help catching up. Daniel wouldn't realize that until much later when he thought back on their evening together, that David had seemed happy just to sit there and listen to Daniel ramble on about this or that.  
  
He'd have found it sweet if he weren't so confused about his motivation. Why would David care so much to listen, especially after everything Daniel had done to him and his campers?  
  
But someone cared about him. Someone took the time to care about what Daniel had to say and what went on in his mind. That was rare. Usually, it was, "Oh, that's crazy and terrible!" or "Don't do that!" or "Why are you like this?!" David didn't really question it, just went along with it and let Daniel explain his reasoning in his own time.  
  
He appreciated it.  
  
When they ordered fried ice cream, Daniel took David's place and started to ask questions. If someone wanted to know about him, then he wanted to know about them too.  
  
Daniel learned that David's parents were gone and that he lived with his grandmother in the off season, that he wanted to work in the music industry where it concerned children's entertainment. Whether it was writing the songs and shows or performing them, David would just be happy to be there. He seemed so passionate about it, hands waving around and grin growing the longer he talked. Adorable. Daniel couldn't help but smile softly as he listened. Dazed, would describe his expression.  
  
And maybe a little taken.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at ixhadbadxdays! Come say hi and talk hcs with me. :0)


End file.
